QR tests in-house barriers to prove safety to Supercars

Queensland Raceway has conducted crash tests with its self-built barriers in a bid to prove they meet the safety requirements set by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) and Supercars.

The operator of the Ipswich circuit and Lakeside Raceway has long pioneered the use of its own safety barriers that are currently not approved by the FIA or CAMS.

As a result, the circuit operates without a CAMS track licence and is only permitted to host Supercars once temporary tyre barriers are installed, which has been the case for the last three years.

Circuit operator John Tetley maintains that his COTA (chain of tyres assembly) barrier is highly effective and more than capable of meeting the required safety criteria.

Tests, featuring different degrees of track surface, were completed using a road car travelling at 122km/h, which was witnessed by a Supercars representative. The data gathered from the tests will be sent to CAMS.

Tetley’s team has created two types of barriers to cater for a range of accidents.

A free standing row of tyres connected by steel plates, which pivot upon impact, and stood approximately six metres in front of a conventional tyre barrier was tested.

The design aims to wrap around the out of control vehicle to absorb the force of the crash and effectively slow down without lifting the car into the air, similar to effects of the FIA approved Tecpro barriers used in Formula 1.

“We want to prove to people that this barrier is very cheap, very easy to maintain and it meets the operational requirements of a day-to-day race track,” Tetley told Speedcafe.com.

“We also wanted to prove that it would do the job for road cars and race cars.

“The thing I hope they (Supercars) have taken away from it is that this barrier system does work and they have confidence in it.

“They do not approve the track it goes back to the FIA/CAMS and they in turn approve the safety furniture.

“We wanted some hard data. We have gone to the FIA safety committee twice and not had a reply. We believe that what we have developed should be shared.”